Tragedy Through My Eyes MichiganStorm™ Second Plane flying into the World Trade Center Towers I, like most Americans, have spent the past few days glued to MSNBC & CNN watching as tragedy unfolds. Blinking back tears as we try to grasp the severity and the reality of the events that took place on Tuesday, September 11th, 2001. Wishing that if we close our eyes long enough we'll wake and find that it was all a horrible nightmare, yet at the same time knowing that these events have actually taken place in our great nation. I, for one, find it difficult to go about my daily routines when the images on television continuously flash through my head and questions circle around in my mind. How can human beings do this to one another? How can some claim that these are crimes committed in God's name? What kind of God do they have? My God would never reach out His hand to this type of person and consider these murders to have been committed in His name! I find myself thinking about my family and wanting them nearer me then the norm, fearing for their demise. The smiles of so many children were shattered this week with parents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters unaccounted for or dead, the hearts of parents broken as they await word on their missing children. Each of these Americans, along with the Australians, Mexicans, Irish, Korean and many other nationalities that were inside these twin 110-story buildings, as well as aboard those planes, Tuesday, had families who now are left empty of hope. When the National Trade Center was "attacked" with those hi-jacked commercial airliners Tuesday, it was not only America who was attacked! There are many countries who will now suffer from this destruction not only economically but emotionally. Perhaps they won't only feel the fear of what could happen next, but they will feel the pain and suffering of our countrymen. What was on the mind of those attacking our country? Not only do they attack the virtual center of our economy, but they send a plane into the Pentagon as well? Word has it they figure that plane's actual destination was the Capital Building, that's right, our nations capital, The White House! According to most of the reports I've read and listened to the plane first attempted to enter the restricted air space above the Capital building before taking a nose dive into the Pentagon. What is the message supposed to be, what was it supposed to have been? I personally feel that the message was quite clear by striking out at the Pentagon, after all what does the Pentagon stand for? It is the hub of our National Security, is it not? Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. Perhaps that was their message, if they can "penetrate" the center of our nation's security what can't they penetrate?? Thus they've attacked our economy and our security. They had targeted Air Force One as well. They targeted our Nation's capital. If they would have succeeded with all their plans we'd likely be left with no governing figure, no economy to speak of for the moment, little to no security and less than nothing in the hope department; in one word - despair. These terrorists wanted to see our country left with nothing, but they had no hope of ever succeeding with that! As Americans, though we sometimes might joke about our country and our leaders, we share a common bond - PRIDE and FREEDOM. Two things that we are willing to fight to our deaths for and we will never give up. President Bush said it best when he said that "America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining." I always have been proud to be an American, but after these past few days my pride has known no limits. We have never seen such an act of war on our own soil and have never had such a situation to react to, but how we, as a nation, have reacted makes me more proud than words. Today I am going to the store, as I hope many of you will, and purchasing red, white and blue ribbons to wear proud in support of my nation. I'm also cutting a check to the American Red Cross Relief Fund and mailing that out this afternoon. There may not be much I can do from Michigan, but I'll be doing what I can, even things as small as wearing my ribbons and praying for those still trapped and all those effected by all four plane crashes and the buildings they (3 planes) crashed into. They are still unsure where the 4th aircraft was headed, but believe that the passengers rebelled against the hijackers bringing the plane down in that field in PA. There are many heroes, dead and alive, for whom we should be thankful. The thousands of rescue workers from around the country and, from what I understand, beginning to come in from other countries, and those people on those planes who, in a sense, died for their country! I'm sure I could go on and on, feeling a lot of the same feelings as all of you and having a lot of hopes for those remaining under the wreckage as well as harboring what fear I might feel towards the future and being unsure of what tomorrow might hold, yet still knowing that our country is as united as it's ever been and will not stand back and allow these terrorists to avoid justice. But I will not. Those responsible who were not aboard those airplanes carrying out their suicide missions will be found and justice will be served "...One nation, under God, with Liberty and Justice for all."

 

Stolen Forum Post- This was stolen from the Joe's Diner forum, posted by Debby/F37:  This is from a Canadian newspaper. AMERICA: THE GOOD NEIGHBOR Widespread, but only partial news coverage was given recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television commentator. What follows is the full text of his trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional record: "This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the Earth. Germany, Japan, and to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of the debris of War by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States. When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it. When the earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped. The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans. I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane. Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC-10? If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American Planes? Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about the Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about the German technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about the American technocracy, and you find men on the moon. Not once, but several times and safely home again. You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs in the store window for everybody to look at. Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from Ma and Pa at home to spend here. When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke. I can name you 5,000 times when the Americans raced to help other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake. Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I am one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of those." Stand Proud America!

My Two Cents On America Under Attack by My2CentsDealW/it! Please allow me to preface this article with a brief explanation as to why my article is not as flashy as it normally appears. Today I am not the grandiose, opinionated and beacon of truth that I normally am. Today I am simply a proud, yet extremely saddened, AMERICAN. Therefore my article is being done in the same format as the other proud AMERICANS and others who have contributed to this Special edition. September 11th, 2001 at approx. 7:42 am EST America received a terrifying wake-up call. Our days of arrogance and apathy had come to a shattering end with the realization that, for all our power and majesty, we are NOT 10 feet tall and bullet-proof. As Churchill said of Pearl Harbor, this was "a day that will live in infamy"! It was a milestone and a turning point in History, both for America and the World! I say that this was a "wake-up call" because it awakened Americans to the fact that even we are vulnerable to the heinous and inhuman acts of terrorists. All of our military might, technological advances and worldwide intelligence networks were useless in preventing or protecting us from this horrendous attack. On one hand, I could point out the many ways that we have ourselves at least partially to blame for this tragedy in that our own arrogance and impatience are the reason that airport security within our borders is so lax. However, that will wait for a future article, instead I would like to focus on the positives that have come out of one of our darkest hours. A friend of mine pointed out the irony in the fact that United and American airlines planes were hijacked: AMERICANs UNITED! In fact, beyond the graphic horror of this tragic event, we have seen Americans set aside their petty differences and stand united against a common threat to their way of life. The attack that, I can only speculate, was meant to shake us to our very foundations has indeed resulted in the opposite effect. Yes we have all suffered pain and loss as a result of this, but yet it has also brought us closer together as well. Men and women of all colors, Republican, Democrat and Independent alike from the President on down, stand together with an iron-clad resolve to not only find the perpetrators of this cowardly act, but to accept this as an "act of war" and declare War on Terrorism from all sources. Yet even as our nation's blood runs hot with the desire for vengeance, we still hold to the foundation that this attack was, I believe, meant to crumble and as we embark on this war against terrorism, we are still a nation founded on Rule of Law and our actions are measured within the guidelines of our founding document, The Constitution! So, Yes the choice of the airlines used in this attack is indeed ironic, because now more than ever before we are very much Americans United, our foundations firmly intact and our resolve as strong as ever. However, it has not only been Americans who have been united by this tragedy. The outpouring of condolences from other nations of the world has also been both touching and inspiring. From NATO's announcement that an attack on one is an attack on ALL of NATO to England, France, Germany and the many others who have stepped up to join us in our search for justice and our War on Terrorism. So, not only has this great loss united Americans, but it has indeed brought much of the world closer together. The task before us now is to maintain this sense of closeness and unity long after the events of Sept. 11th have been relegated to the pages of history. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the triumph over tragedy that has been displayed in the days following the attack, as well as the acts of heroism that occurred that very day. Heroes have been stepping forward daily since this happened to help those in need from those sorting through the rubble to those standing in line for hours to donate blood. Those who rushed into save other, only to be buried themselves when the towers collapsed and those who stood ready to go in after them and the original victims. Those who set up relief funds and those who contribute to them. Heroes one and all! I would, however, like to give special praise to those passengers on Flight 93 (New Jersey to California) which crashed in rural Pennsylvania. If not for their bravery and sacrifice this tragedy may very well have been even more horrendous. When faced with armed terrorists, bomb threats and their own certain death, they chose to meet death on their own terms. They fought back and sacrificed themselves for the sake of saving others that their plane was unquestionably destined to kill. Their bravery and the bravery and heroism of others since this nightmare began is a refreshing glimpse into the indomitable American (Human) Spirit! It reminds us that we are still capable of rising above the pettiness, capable of taking personal responsibility for ourselves and those around us and capable of standing up for ourselves rather than relying on others to look out for our best interest. However, at the same time it shows us that in times of need, we can depend on our fellow Americans to render aid and support. We have much to be proud of in this time of immeasurable loss. We have witnessed and are still witnessing an event in our lives that will, and should, forever change our perspective on life and our place in the world from each of us as individuals and our responsibilities to we as a nation and our place of leadership in the world. I am saddened that it took such an incredible act of violence to awaken many Americans from their arrogant and apathetic sense of invulnerability, but yet I am extremely proud of the response, actions and unity that has come with that awakening. That's My Two Cents as a Proud American My sincerest prayers go out for all those who lost their lives and loved ones on this National Day of Prayer and Remembrance.